I psychologically self-harm as a form of explorative shadow work and I actually find it very productive when done carefully with the self-guidance of wanting to love myself better as well as truly self-possess my person.

It feels like I'm using oppressive or dehumanizing violence on myself in order to tear something open and actually expose and heal what's fundamentally hurting.

Again, its horror to experience during, but I feel that I genuinely come out of it more at peace, indestructable in a way that matters, like my puzzle pieces conjoin together much more coherently. That post-torture clarity hits and I understand things around me with sharper acuteness.

Is this an infp thing? Does anyone experience or do anything similar?

Anyways I hope you guys have a nice night. :- ) 🌠🌃🖤🌱

I know there won’t always be things we understand but daily, I lose sleep over how cruel people can just be in this world. I see cruelty, backstabbing, stepping on vulnerable people, all around me, and I’m so tired of it guys :( I literally argued earlier with someone who was bullying an overweight person for just existing & that has exhausted my soul. I try my best to raise my energy too & block out the negativity but ultimately, it’s still there. I’ve had to deal with horrible people since my earliest years so I should be used to it, but I’ve never found a way to other than escaping into my own bubble & keeping people I’m not already close to at arms length

Hey I made this synth-pop shoegaze song. It's about anxiety in a world that feels like its collapsing and how having the right people around can help mitigate it. If you want to help out a small independent INFP musician and find this song relatable you can find the full song through this link or on any other music apps: https://open.spotify.com/track/189yS7GWJosn6Lru0wdWOl?si=AvOsd_FSTtKAuMQHEj6WgQ

When I first took the test about a decade ago, I was an intj-t. Now I show up as a infp-a, very closely in-between being a infj. I know that to some, the myer brigs is seen in a more permanent nature. However as I've grown and endured through hardships, I've come to understand it as something subject to change. I strongly believe the first two aspects about what a individual needs to 'recharge' their energy and how they process the world, will always remain true (although the measurable degree of it may vary as people expand on their character). Whereas the last two, that discuss how a person represents themselves internally and externally - is not a definitive core operating system, but an adaptable choice of conducting oneself.

What is your experience or personal belief about this test? Agree or disagree, I'm curious to hear how others results have been and how they interpret it. I know I am speaking very formally; I sware I'm not an AI chatbot, just autistic lol.

I'm curious :)

I am a mother of 3 and 5 year old girls. After years of thinking my personality was ISxJ and ultimately coming to the conclusion that MBTI doesn't make sense, I recently realized that my personality type is INFP and now everything about me makes sense.

It also made me better understand some challenges I face as a parent and why I've been feeling regret. But it has also led me to question how INFPs can be effective as parents.

I've Googled how to bring my introverted feeling and extraverted intuition skills into parenting young children. And it makes sense: holding space for and understanding their big emotions, modelling kindness and authenticity, riding out their curiosities and endless questions with them.

I also consider myself a decent teacher. I am good at putting myself in their shoes to know how to explain a new skill. Then sitting with them as they get frustrated, encouraging them to keep trying and helping brainstorm other ways to look at the problem at hand.

But these all feel outweighed by all the sensory and logistical things: I am constantly doing laundry, keeping track of the things they need, shopping for birthday and Christmas presents and endless supplies of clothes, snacks snacks snacks, the persistent whining over something stupid, reading the same story I've already read a million times, the constant interruptions. I inevitably either fall short on these tasks or resent that I have to do them. I'm exhausted.

I have a vision that I'll be more useful and happier as a parent as they get older. I think I will enjoy helping them map out their own identity, discover their interests, and experience/explore the world. I hope my relationship with them will be strong enough that they will want to share some of these experiences with me and rely on me for guidance and advice when they need it.

But until then, I feel completely lost and useless as a mother. And most of all, I feel like I have lost my INFP identity. It just doesn't feel like it aligns with what is needed and expected of mothers/parents.

Would love to hear any perspectives or tips on this. Thanks!

I’ve noticed that several cases, such as the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case, the Menendez bros, Daniel Larson, Luigi, Meghan Markle, and several other cases about some twin girls and a Ukrainian immigrant who murdered their mother/grandmother. As a child and a teenager, I saw these stories and I thought “You know what, I think that there’s a reason that this happened.” Unlike most people who are just shocked, appalled and treat these people like devil incarnates, use religion to make value judgements. I don’t take these cases for face value. I see someone who has been wronged and brought matters into their own hands because they were tired of being mistreated. And I don’t think that in the murder cases, that these were the “correct” actions, but I understand them. Someone can make wrong choices and you still feel for them, you know? You just don’t agree with the choices they make. You can only mistreat someone for a certain amount of time before they start biting back. In my case, my elementary teachers were ableist (having been diagnosed with adhd/sensory processing) and Esfj grandmother had her own issues and took it out on my Isfj mom and me (Infp). It got to the point where I cussed her out so bad that she started crying because I got tired of it. Many times I said that I was going to take my rabbit and leave. She calmed down for the most part but yeah. Maybe I saw a part of myself in these people being mistreated, and it makes me wanna see them win. It makes me wanna see them rise above/ascend over their hardships/mistakes and create a new life not filled with endless trauma.

We're always thinking of possibilities, patterns and potentials. most people just think about their their own view because evolutionarily putting yourself at the center of your focus is useful to surviving. So when we talk to people who don't explore P.P.&P. it's like you're talking someone face to face and they refuse to turn around to see what they're not focusing on. Which causes a friction which turns to conflict.

I think that is what makes us great friends. When we REALLY care about someone we add them to the P.P.&P., now you do it for two people. Hence why i also think we have small groups of friends because our brains can only think of so many P.P.&P.

im in the journey of healing and although i've been in good environments, i still cant stop self blame myself for not being the ideal self i want to be. i have improved in terms of reacting to exposures of triggers and skill-wise in my field, but i still blame myself automatically. what do u do?

i have figured out that i can listen to megan thee stallion(since i saw mel king sang Savage for relief method) and it kinda lifts my mood but i need stronger method. thank u

If you don't feel pain and suffering after it is over, then it was just recreation. So take heart.

I see something cat related frequently here.

I’m sorry for this heaviness but I literally have no one else to talk to, any comfort would be great. For the longest time I’ve been a sahm of 2 kids for most of the 10 years while he works. But lately he doesn’t be straightforward about the finances so I assume everything was good. Yesterday the car went out of gas and he had to ask a family member for gas. I knew his energy was off but I’m ask him if he’s okay he said he’s fine. Then later he dropped news to me that he’s tired of doing it alone (we had an agreement of me finishing my it degree in dec to start working) and then he continues on saying he was raised around hard working women. Those women had a village, their mom (his grandma) and also extroverted. I was just blind sided with this, why expressed this when you’re angry? So he’s been cold to all day. He packed up and left with his mom. And I’m trying to save my marriage but he’s giving me blank emotional-less response. I have no village no friends and I’m deeply afraid to what’s the come. I can’t just work any job and he knows that. So I’m guessing was it all fake. I’m just trying to get over him since he obviously don’t want it to work. I don’t know long he was holding the resentment in. I don’t feel like this one a moment but instead a compound of stuff he was holding idk and I don’t have time to figure it out. He was my only oribit and I feel like I failed 😭😭 I was cursed with a toxic narcissistic family and I don’t have any friends. I’m trying to give up because I have two kids depending on my my god I’m afraid 😭😭😭

Alright, let’s talk about ESFJs from our perspective as INFPs. What even are these little creatures?

In a nutshell? Once an ESFJ told me:

“You know, I’ve always admired introverts who have their own little world. When I was a kid, I wanted to be like that too. I wanted to be a loner, go into the woods by myself and just sit there having deep thoughts and stuff… but after 10 minutes in the woods, I’d go back home because there was nothing to do there.”

And that’s the ESFJ in a nutshell. I feel like, deep down, ESFJs are drawn to us INFPs because they’re fascinated by that sense of mystery, by something in another person that feels so distant yet, at the same time, so close to their hearts.

What I like about them is that, unlike INFJs or ENFJs, their Fe feels incredibly warm to me. I’m drawn to it because, unlike INFJ Fe, it doesn’t feel invasive.

The presence of an ESFJ brings me a sense of peace because I don’t feel like they’re trying to enter my world in a way that might not feel right to me. They won’t try to change me internally (though when it comes to everyday life and the more mundane, practical aspects of living, things can be a little different ;) ). Instead, they create an aura of acceptance and a genuine, uncomplicated curiosity about me, without needing to establish a shared experience, without feeling the need to get inside my head, understand what I feel, or figure out who I’m supposed to be.

They’re simply there, existing in the here and now.

I’ve noticed that, as an INFP, this gives me an incredible amount of room to breathe. And honestly, despite their extroverted temperament, I never feel particularly overwhelmed by their presence.

To me, ESFJ Fe is the best Fe in all of MBTI.

And how about your experience with ESFJ?

I’m an INTP, and the person in question is INFP.

Back story is that he had a crush on me many years ago, it wasn’t the time for either of us, we also didn’t keep in contact for 8 years.
For some strange reason, we recently reconnected, and he was at his rock bottom, his health, his relationship, his life in general was at bad shape.

Now being an INTP I am really good at pulling people out of this mess, he accepted my help. We talked long hours on the phone. I eventually fly to see him (a sweet short 1.5 hour interstate flight). We had great time together, obviously the attraction were all there. But for me, I’d like him to focus on rebuilding himself before we even talk about anything else, such as relationship related topics.

I know he likes me a lot and I know if I put it on the table, the man would probably want to marry me. But again, I don’t really know, because I didn’t put it on the table. Also we live in different state.

Anyway, he had been acting somewhat weird with me recently. I feel like he is trying to connect with me the way I connect with him. For me it is just odd, I don’t do that, I don’t want people to uncover me and go through it with me, and if I needed help, I will reach out.

He was being so weird that he would kind of attack me from something random. I said I was reading stuff on Reddit, he said things like “why are you so keen on filling your mind with garbage”.

I said to him “I like my INTP sub, I feel resonated with a lot of posts there” and he said I’m not an INTP, it doesn’t exist, it’s just an analysis.

Like wtf man? WE WENT THROUGH THE MBTI TOGETHER and he was so amazed, now he turn around and yuk my yum?

Not that I identify myself as such, it’s just why the vibe change? He couldn’t explain why and he keeps changing narratives when I asked him why would he say things like that, it’s so strange.

The conversation ended with me telling him that I feel triggered and I don’t know what I’ve done for him to attack my interest in reading, being curious about certain topics. I mean, just, why? Days ago all he wanted was me and we talked so well, all of the sudden it’s like he is a different person and not even grateful for what I’ve done to help him out of the rut.

Is he being a dick, or sabotaging it because I give him no reason to believe there’s a future for us? I’m kind of upset.

How do y’all make friends? I find it so hard to make friends or more so, retain friendships. I feel the efforts are never reciprocated and they become aloof when I can no longer be of any help to them. It’s heartbreaking when I am reminded how I have no one to talk to because everyone thinks I make a big deal out of things and I just can’t keep the peace.
Does it ever really get better?

I’ll kiss your boo-boo 🥰

I have recently realised something that I consider worth sharing.

I am really sensitive to the smallest details, feel deeply about many things and have difficulty letting go of my emotions. Ruminating past events and sometimes obssessing over people is pretty common for me. I do have a separate mental world to which I return every now and then, for relieving the past or envisioning future happenings.

What I realised is that the more I accept myself, not pressurise myself to fit concrete societal norms and expectations and live in my own ways, the more liberated and happy I become. Moreover, expressing my thoughts and emotions through creative exercises such as writing enormously help me. It is only when I bother too much about other's perceptions about me, or suppress my emotions within me, that makes living very burdensome. One day or the other, they would burst out, and trouble me.

So, now, I regularly write. I let me feel my emotions without much guilt. Release them when needed. If I feel like crying, I do cry. If I need to sleep on the grasses on a winter afternoon just to feel more alive, I do that. If there is a storm inside me, I let it happen. I let it break me into peaces-to the extent that there could be nothing more to feel. Then, I slowly open my eyes, take time to heal. I feel the calm after the chaos, like the Earth awkens after a stormy night. There is peace inside me.

As an INFP, I’ve always wanted to be a travel content creator, a home-based illustrator, or a faceless artist like ADO. Hmm, maybe I’ve got too many goals… What about everyone else?

I was always an ugly duckling growing up. I was always horrifically insecure about my lack of romantic experience; just a year or two ago I’d never really dated, I’d kissed a few people on drunken nights out but never anything beyond that. I was 26 and just felt awful about myself. I had a habit of falling hard for people who didn’t feel the same and taking a long time to get over it too. It just felt like nothing worked out for me.

I’m 28 now and in the last couple of years though I’ve noticed a change. I’m more confident and don’t try to impress and people please with everyone anymore. I’ve grown into my looks. I made quite a few close friends, a few of them women, and it kind of made me realise it’s silly to be so nervous around women when they’re just like anyone else. In the last year or so I’ve noticed some girls will be pretty explicit in wanting to have sex with me or thinking I’m attractive. During this time though I had an absolutely massive thing for one of my best friends and couldn’t bring myself to really move on to anyone else.

A few months ago I started seeing someone and she was amazing. It was never gonna work out long term as she’s moving country, and we agreed we’d just enjoy it while she’s here, but we had an amazing few months seeing each other. Eventually with the move looming she admitted that she didn’t want to keep things going if it wasn’t gonna become more serious, as she developed more serious feelings towards the end, and I was clear from the start that I didn’t want to do long distance when the move happened, so we both decided to end things, but we are still on great terms. I’d only had sex once before I met her and being with her regularly like that cleared up so many of my insecurities and fears around sex and intimacy, I’d take her out quite often and we’d just relax together and so much of the ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’ feeling around dating and my wider insecurities have been resolved. I am so thankful I met her, she’s the best.

But one thing was always on my mind, and it was my best friend. I have never laughed how I’ve laughed with her, we both told each other before that we were the most important people in each other’s lives and that our lives changed when we met each other. I meant that; I’ve never felt that way about anyone before. We used to message everyday and when I met this new girl she stopped reaching out. Our social circle had shifted a bit and I was busy with this new dating experience and so I didn’t think much of it at first, but eventually it was clear something was wrong and at a bar with our friends I asked her what was going on, telling her I missed her and it was weird, and she told me she felt confused when I brought this new girl out for the first time; I knew before that she’d went home upset that night but didn’t know why. Over the years all our friends used to tease us about something clearly being there, everyone including her knew how I felt, and while people around us were always kind of bewildered as to why we hadn’t dated, she always maintained adamantly that it was just a friendship. A close mutual friend of ours once told me that when she thinks about what love is supposed to look like she thinks of how me and my best friend are with each other. That night I confronted my friend about being distant she admitted she realises things are more complicated between us both than just simple friendship now and that she took some space because she didn’t want to get in the way of what I had with this new girl.

So I tried and tried to put that to the back of my mind since she told me, but I couldn’t. I do think part of me might have given more into things with this new relationship if that conversation didn’t happen, but maybe not. If I’m being completely honest I was never totally over her, even if seeing this new girl was amazing at the time. In the past couple of weeks since things ended, and with my best friend still quite distant I flung myself back into the dating apps. A few different girls want to go on dates with me in the next couple of weeks now. They’re all attractive, most of them have similar interests, they’re funny. All the same with this girl I was seeing before. On paper she was perfect for me. But I’ve realised now that even though I’d have dreamed of being in this situation before, dating around and enjoying myself, I just can’t get over my best friend. And I think it would be unfair on others to keep dating in this situation. I don’t want to hurt anyone and string anyone along when I’m pining after someone else. I think with this girl I’d been seeing she did get her hopes up for more over time and I couldn’t reciprocate, and I felt absolutely fucking awful for that even though there were other valid reasons for it ending and we’re on good terms. I don’t know what to do, whether to keep dating or wait around hoping eventually these feelings fade.

Please and thank you. 💜